By Tena L. Cook, Chadron State College
CHADRON – Chadron State College’s presence in Alaska is expanding. In addition to a well-established graduate program in Anchorage, an undergraduate cohort from the Palmer/Wasilla area will enroll this fall.
Nearly 50 individuals have graduated through CSC’s grow-your-own school administrator partnership with the Anchorage School District, according to Dr. Don King, a retired CSC Education Professor and recruiter for Education Outreach Programs. The fifth cohort will enroll in January 2023.
“It's been very successful. As a result, other school districts in Alaska have caught wind of it and reached out,” King said.
As a result of increasing interest, King has helped to initiate a new program at the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) school district aimed at high school graduates earning their bachelor’s degrees in education. The district, about the size of West Virginia, includes nine high schools in Palmer and Wasilla, according to King.
Like other districts in Alaska, Mat-Su is facing a challenge to retain teachers. It costs about $2,400 to advertise in the lower 48 to recruit one teacher, King said.
“When teachers from the contiguous lower 48 states move to Alaska, they are excited, initially. Then winter kicks in. It's very long. It's very dark. It's very cold. Ultimately and unfortunately, a lot of teachers end up leaving which causes a lack of education continuity,” King said.
During a 2021 trip to Alaska, King reached out to Mat-Su school district superintendent Dr. Randy Trani to share information about CSC’s para-teacher program, in addition to the Education Administration graduate program at Anchorage.
“A week later, Dr. Trani got back in touch with me and asked if there was any flexibility in CSC’s programming. I said, ‘Well, it depends. What do you have in mind?’ So, I drove back up to Palmer and met with him in person. In about two hours, we hammered out a potential grow-your-own teacher program specifically for high school graduates,” King said.
The Mat-Su graduates will enroll with Chadron State as freshmen and, simultaneously, the district will hire them for 20 hours a week as para-professionals in one of their schools.
The students will complete their education degree coursework via distance learning. In addition to CSC faculty, qualified Mat-Su teachers and administrators will serve as adjuncts, providing content in their courses related to issues in Alaskan education and the Mat-Su Valley.
King says this is a win-win arrangement for Mat-Su and CSC.
“The students will be employed by their alma mater and receive teacher training while on the job. CSC coursework pairs nicely with their on-the-job experience,” King said. “The beauty of what Mat-Su is doing also includes a financial incentive. They are literally paying back every one of these students’ college debt. The first year a CSC graduate from Mat-Su teaches in the district, they get 10 percent of their college loan debt forgiven. The next year, 30 percent, and so on, until in the fifth year when they are debt-free, which is amazing.”
This year, seven Mat-Su high school students are enrolled as incoming freshman students with CSC, and Mat-Su has room for 25.
“They hope the program will grow,” King said. “The district is providing an avenue for a professional career for these young people; one they can build upon. It also saves money on recruiting and in the long run, it's going to pay off in big dividends because the population the district is targeting already has family ties there. This is their home.”
King believes the unique program is one of the first in the nation.
“I think you're going to see a lot more like it,” he said. “We are just tickled to be partnering with the Mat-Su district on the innovative venture. It's exciting.”